Shanghai Government permitted Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) to operate flights after suspending for several months because of ongoing coronavirus.
Delta seeks to operate two flights weekly
Delta sought the approval of the Chinese civil aviation to run two flights weekly. The airline will operate aircraft to Shanghai from Seattle through Seoul. A spokesperson at Transport Department in China confirmed the receipt of request for flying aircraft from the US.
According to Caixin, United Airlines and Delta can operate flights twice a week to China. Beginning July 6, 2020, United decided to operate two weekly flights to Shanghai from San Francisco. Delta will operate flights from June 27, 2020, instead of originally planned on June 25, 2020, because of too short time for preparation.
Expect to increase the frequency of flights
Caixin said the flights between the US and China will increase to eight each week soon. The arrangement is on the backdrop of a rapport between the US and China to clear travel standoff.
Before the onset of coronavirus pandemic, the US and China airlines are operating 300 trips weekly for passengers. The number of flights declined after late March 2020 because of dip in demand.
The four airlines in China are operating one flight each a week to the US during the coronavirus. When the US airlines – United and Delta requested permission to operate the flights beginning June 1, 2020, the Chinese Government denied and violated the aviation bilateral agreement. The agency in the US decided to ban the flights from China effective June 16, 2020. After CAAC decided to allow few flights from the US, the agency withdraws its ban on Chinese passenger aircrafts.
The US carriers stopped ferrying passengers to China. Only cargo flights flew since February 2020. The airlines in the US are longing to operate passenger flights and improve their earnings.
The Civil Aviation Regulators in China launched the Phase Five Policy in May 2020. According to this new policy to prevent coronavirus infection, the Chinese Government allowed the operation of a single flight overseas to any other country once a week.
The transport department in the US allowed operation of four round trip flights from China.
